Psychological Well-Being and Self-Aging Attitudes Moderate the Association between Subjective Age and Age Discrimination in the Workplace

Abstract

Views of aging include peoples’ assessment of their own aging process and their subjective age. Positive views of aging relate to a improved psychological well-being which predicts better physical and mental health. While these relationships were substantially studied, the moderating roles of self-aging attitudes and psychological well-being in the subjective age–age discrimination connection have been much less explored. The current study used a convenience sample of 568 participants (mean = 66.21y, SD = 11.95, age range 50–95), 55.8% women, 67.1% employed. In line with the hypotheses, young subjective age and psychological well-being were connected to less age discrimination in the workplace, and higher psychological well-being mitigated the subjective age–age discrimination at work connection. When the perception of old age as a period of loss was added to the model, adults who perceived old age as a period of loss and reported lower levels of psychological well-being demonstrated the strongest relationship between an increase in subjective age and an increase in age-related discrimination at work. The findings emphasize the importance of the psychological well-being of older employees as a resource for improving their attitudes towards their last years at work.

Keywords

• age discrimination in the workplace
• ageism
• positive psychology
• psychological well-being
• subjective age